Speaking for the first time publicly since his coaching suspension from his high school alma mater, Miami Northwestern, new Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said at training camp Wednesday that he was simply trying to protect his players.

"I'm protective, and I'm a father first before anything," said Bridgewater, who was suspended by the school for providing what were deemed impermissible benefits. "Those players became my sons."

Bridgewater said in a Facebook post soliciting donations that he paid $14,000 to conduct a camp for players with "three hot meals a day from local black owned restaurants and a snack on some of those days," $9,500 for matching clothing, $300 per week to paint the field, $1,300 a week for recovery trucks, $2,200 for the team's weekly pregame meal and $700 per week on Uber rides.

Bridgewater was suspended seven days after creating the post.

"Miami Northwestern is in a tough neighborhood. Sometimes things can happen when kids are walking home. I was just trying to protect them," said Bridgewater, who led the program to a state championship in 2024.

According to high school data from U.S. News & World Report, 75% of the students at the school are considered economically disadvantaged, with 72% qualifying for free lunch under the National School Lunch Act.

"I can't change who I am because of the rules. I have a big heart, I get it from my mom," Bridgewater said. "I was once those kids. I know what it's like to be in their shoes. I know what it's like to walk those halls at Miami Northwestern and to have your stomach growling and rumbling at 12 o'clock in the afternoon because you didn't have any lunch money or you don't get the free lunch. So I can't change who I am."

Bridgewater still plans to help his former players in whatever ways he can, calling himself the "neighborhood hope dealer." He's hopeful his presence on the Buccaneers can serve as further inspiration.

"They see so much hope when they look at me," he said.